I’m not a gun fan. If you want to own guns, more power to you. If my husband wants to own guns then he needs to store them in a gun safe at a different location than my home. I understand the statistics: more people kill themselves with their guns than kill others. And after years of working for the Suicide and Crisis Center, as well as personal and family history with depression, guns in the house seem to me like keeping pet rattlesnakes. But I have to disagree with the New York paper that published the names and addresses of local gun owners.

I think it’s appropriate that a local blogger published the home address and phone numbers of the paper’s publisher, editor, and some of the paper’s reporters.

— 2 —

We had a very scaled back Christmas here at home. The economy has not been kind to my husband and his twin’s antiques business. So I’m taking some vacation time this week (although I had to go into work for a meeting on Wednesday and I have to work today because our clinic days have been switched (usually on Tuesdays but since last Tuesday was Christmas Day and next Tuesday is New Year’s Day, they’ve been moved to Fridays). Way too busy to take that day off.

— 3 —

The Heir’s aunt has a tradition of giving him absolutely hideous items made out of creepy dolls. Being in the antique business herself, as are his other siblings and my family, she comes across some really weird things. So for several years he got the same disgusting doll lamp. Think of something like this. The first time he got it, he left it so she regifted it to him the next year. That year he threw it in the dumpster at his father’s business and she fished it out and regifted it the next year. Then he wised up and threw it out at our home. So this year she found a doll made into an umbrella.

— 4 —

I think I’ve finished my master’s. I completed my final class and calculated my grade (I think I eeked by with a 90.5). But I’ve managed to lock myself out of my account, too many tries with a new password, and of course it’s the holidays so there’s no one working the IT desk. So, perhaps I did, perhaps I didn’t. I chose not to walk so I guess I’ll make an official announcement when I either unlock my account or the diploma shows up in the mail.

— 5 —

I love the beginning of the new year. I think it’s a great time to clean house and work on organization. We’re working on the back room in our house to change it into a TV room to make our living room more formal. I’ll take a few photos in the upcoming weeks to show the before and after.

— 6 —

The Heir, who is 18 now, wanted to buy a trench ax so he could learn to throw an ax, because we know that will come in handy in the future. Anyway we found one at a local sporting goods store and gave it to him for Christmas. After all, what better item to celebrate the birth of Jesus than a throwing ax? He’s been practicing in the front yard with a ginormous tree we have, ‘cause that’s how we roll.

— 7 —

The Spare and I spent yesterday working a 2-1/2 hour shift at the North Texas Food Bank sorting food. It’s amazing how people will donate food that’s expired. It’s also amazing who a group of 20 people can sort 11,000 pounds of canned goods in 2-1/2 hours. My back is sore!